


Of(f) Course

by raug_moss



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Cat goes to Krypton, F/F, Houses of Krypton, krypton still exists
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-25
Updated: 2017-12-25
Packaged: 2019-02-17 04:17:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,686
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13068960
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/raug_moss/pseuds/raug_moss
Summary: Cat gets herself a spot on the very first diplomatic mission to Krypton. She is going to write a story that'll win all of the prizes while Lois Lane cries in a corner. Of course things don't go according to plan, they never do.





	1. Not in Kansas anymore

**Author's Note:**

  * For [badwolfkaily](https://archiveofourown.org/users/badwolfkaily/gifts).



> Supergirl Secret Santa submission: 
> 
> Happy Holidays everyone. Thank you badwolfkaily for the open prompts, I hope you like what I did with it a little. 
> 
> I was trying to write something a bit longer, so my apologies for the endless exposition in the beginning aka the first chapter. Time got away from me though, so this is kinda more like a first part of something longer. Enjoy.

Cat’s eyes opened and she stared at the steel gray ceiling with a furrowed brow. It took her several moments to recall why she was in unfamiliar surroundings, but the dull sound of an electrical hum gave it away rather quickly.

She sighed and stretched her arms above her head, trying to rid herself of an unpleasant ache in her lower back that had refused to go away ever since her departure.

The muscles in her shoulders moved smoothly across tendon and bone and Cat sat up with a small groan. She was getting too old for this. But she would be doing it until she was a hundred years old if it meant snatching the scoop right form under Lois Lane’s nose.

Leaning over to the small bedside table, she found the control panel and pressed a tiny green button. The lights were switched on and bathed the entire room in a pale glow while the panels in front of the only window slowly slid away, revealing what probably was one of the most redeeming features of this trip: a view of endless and open space, splattered with stars near and far streaking by.

She sat for several minutes, simply staring, the sheet pooled around her waist, until a beeping sound alerted her to the fact that it was time to get up.

Cat slid out of bed and wandered over into the small adjoining bathroom to take a quick shower. It certainly had its advantages to be traveling as the President’s entourage, including private quarters on an alien ship that had transported true royalty once upon a time.

Despite its size, the water pressure in the small shower cubicle was amazing and Cat allowed herself a healthy amount of time to be pelted with the hot stream. Her muscles were tense and she hadn’t been sleeping well. Most likely a byproduct of being literal light years away from her home planet, and from Carter, for the first time in… ever.

“You’re going to another planet? That’s so cool mom, can you bring me back something awesome from there?” Carter’s voice echoed through her head. He’d been so excited about her going on such an adventure, even though it had taken him a day or so of sulking to get over the fact that he hadn’t been allowed to come.

After her shower, Cat got dressed in one of her pantsuits, which was perhaps a bit overkill for a space ship, but she was going to be in the presence of the President after all.

Her body was already craving a cup of black-black coffee by the time she made it to the dining hall – even the President didn’t get the luxury of a private dining room – and she ambled over to the one and only alien contraption on the ship able to produce the brown liquid that kept her going throughout the day.

She punched a few buttons and waited for the mug to fill up to the brim. What wouldn’t she give for a cup from Noonan’s right now, even if it was only lukewarm.

“I shouldn’t be surprised that this is where I’d find you,” a familiar voice drawled from behind her and Cat turned to find the President smiling at her.

“I need this cup of coffee inside my body before I can engage in friendly banter, sorry Liv.”

Olivia chuckled quietly and stepped forward to hand Cat her full mug before placing her own into the machine. “It’s quite unfortunate that our alien hosts have mastered the most advanced technology, including space travel, but it’s impossible to find a good cup of coffee, isn’t it?”

Cat made a small noise in agreement and took a sip from her mug. The taste was slightly off, most likely because the synthetic formula of coffee didn’t stand a chance against actual ground beans, but it would have to do.

Once Olivia had snatched her own full mug from the machine, they walked over to a booth and settled down. Several heads turned in their direction and Olivia returned friendly smiles and nods with a small wave.

Cat wasn’t quite up to socializing just yet and simply left the crowd-pleasing to the professional.

“We have a meeting later today,” Olivia told her once she was finished exchanging pleasantries with a crewmember who’d stopped by to inquire about their well-being. The people on this ship were nothing if not gracious and considerate. It was almost uncanny.

“Again? I’m pretty sure they know everything but the size of my underwear already,” Cat replied with a scowl.

Olivia chuckled and took a sip of coffee. “Our journey is almost complete, twelve hours from now we’ll be reaching Krypton and the Captain wants to brief us one last time on protocol before we land.”

“Fine,” Cat replied and hid a yawn behind her hand.

It had been rather fortunate, depending on who was asked, that Earth was the only planet on this side of the solar system with the particular kind of yellow sun that turned regular Kryptonians into super-powered soldiers, thus enabling them to defeat a conquering alien race that had threatened to overwhelm them.

Now that an alliance between Krypton and Earth had been established, travel between the planets was the next big step and of course the President of the United States was one of the first leaders to be granted the privilege to meet with the royal families of Krypton.

Due to her history with Olivia, and their shared interest in alien issues, Cat had managed to snag a spot on the ship and with it a world-exclusive on all things Krypton. Take that, Lois Lane.

A few Secret Service agents filtered into the room and Olivia rose to her feet, taking one last gulp of coffee before inclining her head toward Cat. “Duty calls, I will see you later at the meeting.”

“Of course,” Cat replied with a small sigh. She watched Olivia depart und glanced down at her empty mug, tracing the rim with the tips of her fingers.

Twelve more hours and she would be setting foot onto a foreign planet as one of the first people – humans – to ever do so.

An uncomfortable churning began in the pit of her stomach but she chose to ignore it. Now wasn’t the time to let her nerves get in the way. Not that she’d felt anything like this since starting up CatCo and working her way to the very top. This was something different, an entirely new adventure and that was probably why she hadn’t been able to resist going on this journey.

The dining hall was slowly filling up and she was getting increasingly curious looks, so Cat decided that it was time return to her quarters to get ready for that meeting. The Captain was a very serious-looking man with an even more serious face and she doubted that he’d appreciate her nodding off during the debriefing.

S-S-S

As technologically advanced as Krypton was, their social structures were almost archaic and Cat found herself listening to the Captain’s speech with a furrowed brow. Arranged marriages, royal families, and most disturbingly the so-called Codex, used to predetermine any newborn’s social standing and position in life.

She shared a long meaningful look with Olivia once the Captain had essentially lectured them on Kryptonian societal norms and sat back with a sigh. This was certainly putting a damper on her exposé, considering that she’d championed feminism and equality for a long time and would be reporting on a world that was decades if not centuries ahead of them in terms of technological development but seemed to have gotten stuck somewhere in the 1800s when it came to society as a whole.

Perhaps there were certain things Krypton could still learn from them and Cat surely wasn’t known for simply accepting and going along with the status quo.

“I know what you’re thinking,” Olivia told her as they left the conference room. A holographic image of Krypton was still gravitating above the centre of the round table and Cat studied the image for a moment before following Olivia through the sliding doors.

“And what, pray tell, might that be?” Cat asked with an arched eyebrow.

Olivia smirked and inclined her head. “We’re on a mission to establish a long-lasting, mutually beneficial relationship between our cultures. Which means we cannot simply blast the door off its hinges before we’ve even stepped inside.”

Cat pursed her lips for a moment. “I’ll try to contain myself.”

Olivia smirked at her and Cat rolled her eyes with a smile. It was quite amazing what one could learn about a person while living with them. Not only what they looked like naked, of course, but having shared her dorm room with Olivia during her first years in college had given Cat a pretty good idea of what made the other woman tick.

It wasn’t surprising, really, that she’d become the first female President of the United States. Liv had always been driven, passionate about the topics close to her heart, and she had a way of drawing people in, making them really listen to what she had to say.

Unfortunately that also meant Olivia had the uncanny knack for reading Cat and making fairly accurate guesses about what she was thinking, even after all these years.

“You know that there are certain parties on Krypton that would have rather seen a more colonial approach toward our planet. As far as I know these voices have been silenced by several royal families, for now, which means we need to make nice and be as amicable as we can.” 

“I understand,” Cat replied.  

She hadn’t become the CEO of a major company without encountering her fair share of misogyny and elitism, so she knew her way around people who thought of themselves as some sort of royalty well enough. It could hardly be any more difficult to charm the real deal than it had been on Earth. 

“I’m glad you’ve decided to join me on this journey,” Olivia said and touched her fingers to Cat’s arm with a smile, “your presence makes this whole political circus a lot less stressful since I know I can trust your opinion on these issues.” 

That was high praise indeed and Cat smirked. “It’s my pleasure, of course. Someone has to make sure that we leave a lasting impression on Krypton after all.” 

Olivia laughed and nodded. “Of course.” 

A nearby Secret Service agent walked over to sweep Olivia away into yet another meeting and Cat was left to her own devices for the time being.  

Although she had already spent considerable amounts of time exploring this ship, there were still corners she hadn’t seen yet. There was always something else to discover and the friendly young man from the tech crew had been more than happy to answer any and all questions about Krypton she may have had. It would be pure gold to find someone else just like him, only a few steps up in the command chain.  

That is how Cat found herself, a few hours later, surrounded by a small group of Kryptonians in one of the crew’s common rooms as they were trying to teach her some much more complicated version of chess.

As if the game wasn’t difficult enough, Kryptonians had somehow managed to give it an even more mathematical perspective and the small figures, of certain prominent heroes of old tales, could only be moved after solving some sort of numeric puzzle. Cat knew she was way in over her head, but the Kryptonians seemed to enjoy explaining the game to her, along with some more peculiarities about life on Krypton.

This was how she first heard of the House of El, apparently one of the most influential houses with many ties to other prominent families on Krypton.

Cat was immediately intrigued by the reverence with which some of the Kryptonians spoke about these people, as if there was more to them than merely their bloodlines affording them comfortable lives.

So by the time she threw in the towel and decided to leave the Kryptonians to their complicated game, Cat was beyond curious to finally meet the royal families. She was going to stick very close to Olivia’s side so that no one decided press wouldn’t be welcomed at official meetings.

Cat wandered the ship for a little while longer until she decided to retire to her small quarters for a bit of rest and to prepare for their arrival on Krypton.

S-S-S

Cat’s hands dug into the sides of the hard metal seat as they neared Krypton and a few of the other Secret Service agents weren’t in much better shape as they sat with their teeth clenched and sweat beading on their brows. Only Olivia appeared unfazed as she watched the descent through the giant glass panels.

The Captain had kindly invited them onto the bridge so they could be in front row seats as they landed on Krypton but Cat was slowly regretting her decision to join Olivia.

There was an invisible weight pushing her into the seat and despite the artificial gravity inside of the ship, she just couldn’t shake the feeling of being completely untethered as they hurled toward Krypton’s atmosphere.

She clenched her eyes shut as they shot through the clouds and already in the next moment their rapid descent came to an abrupt halt. The sudden change in movement and speed almost sent her sprawling out of her chair and one of the Secret Service agents to her left jumped to his feet and rushed from the bridge with a hand clamped over his mouth.

Cat’s stomach churned in sympathy but she stayed put and forced herself to look toward the glass panels at the front of the ship. Krypton eventually came into sight and she leaned forward slightly to take in all of the colors of the foreign planet.

While there were some patches that might be mistaken for blue seas and green forests, similar to Earth, the most remarkable thing about the view was the red hue that surrounded the planet. Meanwhile deep red and orange lines ran across the planet’s surface in many places.

Cat knew that Krypton had barely escaped a natural catastrophe, or rather the utter and complete destruction of the entire planet, several decades back. According to their information, a group of scientists had managed to stall the decomposition of the core and only a radical change in how Kryptonians had treated their home had saved them.

Cat had an inkling that Krypton was a cautionary tale to Earth and its inhabitants, but people had yet to understand the consequences of carelessness and indifference toward what sustained them.

Thankfully they had slowed down enough so that Cat realized that most green patches far down below were encased in giant glass spheres. Entire forests were kept alive artificially and she marveled quietly at the technology she was about to witness from up-close in just a little while.

“Welcome to Krypton,” the Captain told them without taking his eyes off of the panels in front of him, “we will be arriving in Kandor soon.”

Cat glanced at Olivia and found her smiling slightly. She turned her head and shot a smirk in Cat’s direction before nodding toward the front glass panels again. Cat raised her brows and returned her attention to their destination that had grown much closer in the moments she had taken her eyes off of the planet’s surface.

Buildings that resembled spires stretched as far as the eye could see. Glass and shiny metal were the primary elements and colors of the city that stretched across the landscape in almost symmetrical shapes.

It took every last bit of her ingrained manners to not let her mouth fall open gracelessly. The sight was truly astonishing and Cat slowly rose to her feet to step closer to the glass panels as they neared Kandor.

Too soon the ship had descended so far that she couldn’t see the entirety of the city anymore but the details of the buildings below were just as fascinating. Her earlier impression of sleek and polished buildings became even clearer as she found roads winding through them like rivers, flooded with vehicles that mostly resembled trains and buses.

Eventually the ship stopped mid-air and began a vertical plunge until there was a soft thud and they entered a large metal dome that closed upon them as soon as they were inside. It was unlike any landing a plane on Earth was capable of and Cat felt an uneasy feeling rising in her chest again.

She’d been on unfamiliar terrain before, many times actually, but nothing compared to this.

“Follow me please.” A crewmember had approached them and gestured toward the doors at the opposite side of the bridge.

The Captain was still seated in his chair and speaking quietly into a device attached to his ear, seemingly not interested in seeing his passengers off.

Cat turned away from the glass panels with a sigh and fell into step with Olivia as they followed the crewmember toward the doors. The Secret Service agent who had previously vacated his seat joined them again as they stepped out into the corridor and they were trailed by all five of them as they walked down the long hallway.

“Exciting, isn’t it?” Olivia asked with a twinkle in her eye.

She was seemingly enjoying this trip immensely and Cat couldn’t fathom how the woman remained so calm and relaxed on the outside. Because she had to be feeling some tension somewhere deep inside, right?

“Quite,” Cat replied, trying to keep her nonchalance intact.

Olivia smirked as if she knew exactly that Cat was anything but indifferent but they fell silent as they kept following the crewmember through yet another set of doors. Cat expected another corridor to follow, as she’d gotten used to seeing them behind each and every door on this ship, but instead a blast of warm air greeted them.

The doors opened with a hissing sound to reveal the inside of the grey dome they had previously landed in, a hangar of some sort Cat assumed. A metallic gangway unfurled right in front of them toward the ground and Cat waited for Olivia to take the lead.

Apparently their luggage was going to be taken care of, since no one had mentioned it yet and she was willing to go along with whatever was in store for them, not at all concerned about her one-of-a-kind pair of Louboutins in her suitcase.

Olivia walked across the gangway like she’d done it a million times and Cat was actually quite glad that the Secret Service agents were following them this closely, simply because they were emanating the same nervous energy Cat was feeling in her gut. At least she wasn’t alone in being completely out of her element.

A row of people was waiting at the bottom of the gangway and they rested their right hands lightly against the left side of their chests while bowing their heads in greeting. “Welcome to Krypton,” one of them intoned, “my name is Sil-En and I will be accompanying you to your residence. A meeting with the Houses has been arranged for later today.”

“Wonderful, and thank you,” Olivia replied with a broad smile.

Cat shot one last glance over her shoulder at the spacecraft before turning and following Olivia and the Kryptonians into what was promising to be a very interesting day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know much about Superman/Krypton lore other than what was on the show, so there are probably plenty of inaccuracies, but then again this is fan fic, so eh whatevs.


	2. The rescue

After Cat had been shown to the rooms she would be occupying during her stay on Krypton she was more than impressed with the architecture and the sheer ingenuity of the city.

Although there hadn’t been much time to explore yet, she had noticed that the technological advancements they could only dream of on Earth were everywhere, whether it was preparing a full meal in mere minutes with a small machine or simply the system of transportation that relied entirely on renewable energies.

Her rooms rivalled anything the best hotels in National City had to offer and she had an amazing view of Kandor down below from a row of large floor to ceiling windows.

The red sun wasn’t as bright as the yellow one on Earth but the reddish tint was slowly starting to give her a headache, which she’d been reassured was normal during a short period of adjustment.

She had already changed into one of her most expensive costumes consisting of a dress that had been designed specifically for her and a blazer in muted blue and grey colors. Her luggage had been delivered to her room shortly after her arrival and the sinfully expensive red Louboutins were now adorning her feet, the finishing touch of her outfit.

While she waited for Olivia to arrive, she took in the rooms she’d been given with a critical eye. The design of the furniture was seamless, blending in with the material of the walls as if everything was carved from one single piece. The floor resembled marble but she couldn’t even begin to guess what other materials might be surrounding her at the moment.

There was a chime from the direction of the door and Cat grabbed her purse as she walked over to open it. Olivia was waiting on the other side as it slid open with her ever-present smile firmly in place.

“Ready?”

“Of course,” Cat replied and once again strode through the hallways of the large building complex beside Olivia.

“So who are we meeting exactly?”

“As far as I understood it, there are several Houses, noble ruling families similar to what we would perhaps consider royalty at home. Some of them have more power than others due to alliances and simply because of their ancestry,” Olivia replied, “we are meeting with what is probably the leading House on Krypton, with its seat of power right here in Kandor, and a few of their affiliates.”

“I see,” Cat replied slowly.

She wasn’t entirely sure what to make of the political structures on Krypton but if one thing was certain it was that they needed to make nice with these particular noble families to ensure a lasting alliance between their planets.

Their short journey took them out of the building complex they were staying in and the same group of Kryptonians who had greeted them at the hangar were now waiting outside and ushering them into one of the long train-like transportation vehicles that were seemingly floating a few inches above the ground. There was probably some kind of magnetism at play but Cat didn’t have nearly enough understanding of physics to make sense of much of the processes on Krypton.

The train was to take them to the city center, a mere ten minute journey, and Cat was staring out of the windows the whole time while surreptitiously snapping a few photos with her phone. These pictures would be worth thousands of dollars upon her return and she was still a little frustrated about the fact that James hadn’t been allowed to join her on this trip. Not essential enough, they’d said.

Thankfully the windows were somehow tinted and warded off most of the reddish light from above, giving her ample opportunity to scrutinize everything she saw. She would be writing her impressions into a journal she’d been keeping since the beginning of this adventure later when she returned to her rooms. But for now she soaked up the foreign atmosphere with every sense.

The closer they came to the city center, the more people were crowding the streets. It reminded her a bit of New York during its busiest times, but things appeared more organized in Kandor, cleaner too.

People were walking with a purpose but hardly bumped into each other. The noise was at an acceptable level, probably also because of the quiet trains simply whirring back and forth across the streets without much fuss at all.

The train didn’t stop at any of the regular stations, but instead took them to a secluded area where pedestrians seemingly didn’t have access at all.

They were led to the doors once again and Cat followed Olivia outside into the reddish sunlight to find a row of Kryptonians in what appeared to be military uniforms lining the way on both sides. They had a clear view of one of the tallest spiraling buildings in front of them and a sprawling plaza ahead was filled with a few large plants in the middle almost like a small park.

Cat regarded the people in uniforms with raised eyebrows, wishing she could step closer and touch the black material of their uniforms as it appeared almost pliable and like armor at the same time. But some human simply walking over and fingering their clothes probably wouldn’t be too appreciated at this point in time, so Cat stuck with Olivia and the Secret Service agents as they walked towards the plaza.

She glanced up to the red sky and wondered how it was possible that an entire planet could be so beautiful yet so fragile at the same time.

Ahead of them another group of people came into view as they passed the green plants that consisted mostly of large leaves on small trees, and Cat had to seriously restrain herself from turning back around as the noise of several footsteps following them sounded from behind.

They certainly weren’t in Kansas anymore.

Despite the eerie feeling of being followed by a dozen or so Kryptonian guards, Cat was thoroughly distracted by the people ahead waiting for them.

The first thing noticeable about them were the white, grey and blue robes they wore. The closer she came, the more details Cat could make out. The designs were quite intricate and the fabrics obviously of high quality, but most of all she was drawn to the symbols etched into the robes, some similar some different. The people Cat had seen thus far hadn’t been wearing these prominent symbols and she wondered what their purpose was, other than perhaps denoting a belonging to a particular House.

They came to a halt in front of the group and Olivia immediately stepped forward to greet the tall broad-shouldered man in the front. She shook his hand without hesitation and Cat noted the surprised expression on his face with a smile. If there was one person who could make fast friends with royal families of a foreign planet, it would be Liv.

While Cat still watched the exchange between Olivia and the man who appeared to be some sort of leader, she could feel a slight prickling on the side of her face, sort of a sixth sense she had developed over the years chairing board meetings, and she tilted her head to find startlingly blue eyes staring at her.

The young woman was standing slightly off to the side and Cat met the inquisitive gaze with one of her own. The blonde was wearing a white gown with sheer material around her shoulders, the symbol that resembled a capital S proudly displayed on her chest. The man who had greeted Olivia wore the exact same one, so Cat assumed that they belonged to the same family.

The whole exchange took mere seconds, but to Cat it felt almost as if time ceased to move forward for those moments. She wasn’t one to believe in movie clichés, but a small shudder raced down her spine as she took in the young woman’s perfectly beautiful face while a small smile played across full lips.

Cat swallowed and turned her head away, focusing on Olivia’s back to get her own strange reaction under control.

She realized that her fingers were wrapped around the strap of her purse in a white-knuckled grip and she consciously relaxed her stance and inhaled a deep breath through her nose. It wouldn’t do to become frazzled simply because a curious Kryptonian seemed to find her weirdly fascinating.

She noticed movement from the corner of her eye and turned to find the young woman suddenly walking toward her. Cat’s heart sped up but before she even had time to figure out what was going on, the Secret Service agents all began moving. Someone pushed past her and she stumbled several steps to the side, a curse right on the tip of her tongue.

There was a shout and then a scream before a deafening explosion sent her staggering to the ground. She landed on her hands and knees and looked up between her tousled hair to see the young Kryptonian woman being surrounded by several guards as they ushered the small group away from whatever had happened.

Her gaze met concerned blue eyes once again but already in the next moment Cat was pulled roughly to her feet by a strong hand wrapped around her upper arm.

“What do you think you’re doing?” she demanded and struggled fruitlessly. Her hands were twisted onto her back and she felt something in her shoulder strain as she realized that cold metal was now keeping her wrists bound together.

She looked around frantically and found several agents as well as Olivia in the same position. Olivia was speaking to the guard who had cuffed her but her pleas seemed to fall on deaf ears as they were escorted away. The guard still had a bruising grip on Cat's arm and roughly shoved her in the direction of the large spiraling building.

She still wasn’t entirely sure what had actually transpired but something must’ve gone awfully wrong. Her racing thoughts immediately turned to Carter, who was waiting for her at home to return with some super cool present from outer space.

Cat shared a panicked look with Olivia who gave her a small nod as she herself was dragged away.

S-S-S

“Unhand me. Right now.”

Cat bristled as the guard kept dragging her down a long white corridor. It looked even more sterile and impersonal than the ones she’d seen thus far on the space ship and it worried her what exactly that might mean.

She was certainly going to have a hand-shaped bruise on her arm come morning, but she was afraid that it would be the last of her worries. The guard suddenly stopped and Cat was about hurl a few choice insults his way when her wrists suddenly separated. She brought her hands forward and looked down at the thin silver shackles.

“What…?”

A door that had previously been disguised as a part of the white wall slipped open and revealed a small room, no, a cell. Before Cat could even react, she was pushed forward and into the small space.

She whirled around and found the door already closed again, only a thin black line giving any indication that there had been an opening at all.

“Great, just great.”

She took in her new surroundings and… there simply wasn’t much to see. White walls, a small bed with a thin mattress, something that may have resembled a desk protruding from the wall without a chair to sit anywhere in sight.

Cat furrowed her brow and took a few steps forward. Surely they wouldn’t…?

She flinched as yet another door slid open to her right, revealing the tiniest little bathroom she’d ever seen. But at least there was one at all.

With a long sigh she made two steps and sat heavily on the hard mattress.

“I can’t believe this.”

It was obvious that she’d just been arrested, but for what exactly she really wasn’t sure. Something had definitely gone awry out there in the plaza but in the chaos it hadn’t even occurred to her figure out the source of the disturbance. If she hadn’t let herself get distracted by some Kryptonian woman, she might’ve been more alert and aware of her surroundings. So it was her own damn fault really, that she was now trapped in this tiny room with its tiny bathroom.

The thin silver bands around her wrists weighed hardly anything at all, and yet they'd somehow held her hands together behind her back like the strongest pair of handcuffs on Earth. She studied them for a few moments before she got to her feet again.

“I want to speak to a lawyer,” Cat called.

It wasn’t a surprise that no answer was forthcoming.

S-S-S

She had no idea how much time passed as she sat there, her back resting against the white wall and her legs dangling over the edge of the small mattress. No windows also meant no daylight and she was already starting to miss the slightly reddish hue of Krypton. It had been almost pleasant compared to the artificial fluorescence of her cell.

In her mind she went over the events of the day again and again, always returning to blue eyes and blonde hair and her own stupidity.

She took turns pacing the length of the small room and investigating every single inch of it. As far as she could tell there was no way out, at least not with conventional methods. But they had to give her food and water eventually, right? Perhaps an opportunity to find out more about her current situation would present itself then.

The wait, however, was maddening. The uncertainty gnawing at her insides while there was absolutely nothing to do, nothing to see besides white walls, was almost its own form of torture.

Although her mind was in no state to find rest, her body eventually grew tired of the awkward position she sat in on the mattress and the continuous pacing, four steps in one direction, four in the other. Again and again.

With a sigh she took off her blazer and balled it up beneath her head as she curled up on her side, facing the door in case anyone decided to show up while she was trying to get some rest.

She hadn’t planned on falling asleep, hadn’t even thought it would be possible with all of the inner disquiet, but something awoke her an undefined amount of time later.

Cat's eyes flew open and she sat up, looking around in a moment of disorientation until it dawned on her where she was. She had no idea what had woken her since nothing had changed with the four white walls surrounding her, but something was off.

She listened intently and tilted her head, waiting for whatever had likely made a noise to happen again.

When the door to her cell opened with a quiet hiss instead, she stumbled to her feet and pressed her back against the small protrusion in the wall on the opposite side while she grabbed one of her heels in one hand, pointing the sharp end toward whoever was going to enter any second.

She expected anything from Kryptonian guards trying to drag her away again to some kind of humanoid space alien, but the last thing she thought she’d see standing on the other side of that door was the young blonde woman from the plaza.

And yet there she was.

Blue eyes quickly scanned her body as Cat slowly lowered her hand and the heel still clutched tightly in her graps.

“What…?”

“Quickly, we have to leave,” the woman whispered, throwing a quick glance over her shoulder and waving her hand for Cat to move forward.

“Not before you tell me what the hell is going on here,” Cat replied, also in a whisper for whatever reason.

“I will, I promise, but I don’t know how long they will be distracted, you have to come with me. Now.”

Cat hesitated briefly. This woman could be planning anything from abducting to torturing her, but it would probably still be preferable to being locked up in this small room. With a huff Cat stepped back into her heels and grabbed her jacket from the bed before she hurried toward the woman and out of the room.

A long dark blue cloak was thrust into her arms as they marched down the white corridor.

“Put this on, the hood too,” the woman ordered.

Cat grit her teeth but did as she was told, pulling the cloak around her shoulders and the hood into her face.

After the end of the corridor they stood in front of a door and the woman punched a few symbols into a pad beside it. As the doors slid open Cat realized that it was an elevator.

It accelerated noiselessly after they’d stepped inside and Cat could feel the pressure that came along with going upwards at a high speed.

“What are you doing?” Cat asked into the silence of the small space.

After this she was absolutely done with cramped rooms. Once back on home she would grab Carter and they would take a month-long vacation at the beach house where the open patio was right by the ocean and she could feel free and untethered.

“What does it look like?” the woman replied with a small smile, “I’m rescuing you, of course.”

Cat was briefly stunned into silence. A rescue?

Once the elevator reached its destination, the young woman grinned at Cat over shoulder as she stepped forward. “I’m Kara by the way.”

Before Cat had even the slightest chance to reply, they were hurrying through yet another hallway, this one in red colors and much less suffocating than the others. Their path led them to an open foyer and Kara kept on checking around each corner before they moved forward.

After a little while of playing cat and mouse with whoever else might be in this building, they slipped outside and into the Kryptonian night through a small side entrance. Cat kept the hood of her cloak pulled into her face just so in case they would be passing someone on the street no one would be able to tell her apart from other Kryptonians right away.

They had just left the alley which they’d entered from the side entrance and were walking down a larger street, when Kara froze ahead of her.

Cat leaned to the side to see a man and a woman in uniforms coming their way. Panic crept into her throat and Cat took several steps back just as Kara spun around. A second later she was grabbed and Kara had moved her so that her back was pressed against the wall of the nearest building.

Suddenly Cat was staring into blue eyes from up close and her breath caught in her throat. Kara raised a finger to her lips and Cat jerked her chin in an approximation of a nod.

“Hey, you there,” a female voice called.

Kara leaned forward and giggled until Cat could feel warm breath ghosting across her neck.

“Don’t you hear?” the same voice called again and Kara spun around to face the two guards who had stopped a few feet away from them.

“Oh, I’m so sorry, we got caught up there for a moment, apologies to the Guild.”

Kara pulled Cat into her side and she turned her head so that she was tucked into Kara, her face hidden from the guards. “Yes, my apologies,” she echoed.

“You shouldn’t be out on the streets in this area, we’re still under orders to keep vigilant after what happened,” the guard replied.

“Of course, yes, we will go home straight away, thank you. And be safe out here.”

“Thanks,” the guard said, “I know what it’s like to get sidetracked by such things, but you should remain careful for now.”

“We will,” Kara answered and with a quick smile in the guards’ direction they were off again, hurrying down the street.

“That was close,” Kara breathed.

“In more ways than one,” Cat replied with tiny shake of her head.

“What?” Kara looked down at her where she was still leaning into the taller woman’s side.

“Nothing, let’s get out of here,” Cat answered and hurried alongside Kara as quickly as her heels would allow.

S-S-S

After dodging a few more patrols and using as many small side streets as they could, Kara finally led Cat to a building that seemed like it was under construction, if the robots flitting about with all kinds of materials were anything to go by.

They entered yet another elevator that took them back underground and Cat hesitantly stepped out after reaching the corresponding floor. She wasn’t certain she wanted to know what exactly lay ahead of them, but after Kara had taken the lead and, for the first time, opened a door manually, Cat was flooded with relief.

In the spacious room that was outfitted like some sort of command center, Olivia stood with her hands on her hips in a deep conversation with a woman with long brown hair and cheekbones that could probably cut glass.

Olivia turned around as they entered and she exhaled quickly. “Cat.”

In a few steps she’d closed the distance between them and pulled Cat into a hug.

She’d never been as glad to see her former roommate and Cat held tightly onto Olivia’s blazer as they clung to each other for several moments. “I’m so glad to see you.”

“So am I,” Cat replied as Olivia held her at arm’s length to give her a thorough once over.

“Are you alright?”

“I’m fine, but confused.”

“Trust me, I know, but I’ll try and explain everything. First, I’d like to introduce you to General Astra In-Ze,” Olivia said and indicated the older woman with brown hair who stepped closer to shake Cat’s hand in a strong grip.

“You’ve already met her niece, Kara,” Olivia continued and Cat looked over her shoulder to see Kara smiling at her.

“Yes, apparently I was rescued. But what I don’t understand why that was even necessary.”

“At our initial meeting with the noble families there was an attack,” Olivia answered and shook her head with a sigh, “apparently one of my agents was working with a Kryptonian terrorist.”

“But there had to have been thorough background checks,” Cat replied, “no one gets into the Secret Service if there’s any indication they could be a potential risk.”

“I know,” Olivia said with a shake of her head, “but we’ve missed something.”

“It seems that this particular meeting was targeted to cause a war between our planets,” Astra cut in, her sharp eyes regarding Cat thoughtfully.

“War?” Cat breathed.

“If any member of the House of El had been killed, there would’ve been no chance for reconciliation. However, I uncovered that your people weren’t behind the attack, so we decided to bring you to a safe place until we can get to the bottom of this entire issue,” Astra continued.

“So, we’re essentially…on the run?” Cat asked.

“For now,” Olivia replied with a nod.

“Wonderful,” Cat sighed and wandered over to one of the chairs stood in front of several monitors on a desk. Her feet were killing her and she slipped her heels off as she massaged her calves.

She looked up to find Kara standing in front of her. “Would you like anything to drink, or eat?”

“Some water would be nice, thank you,” Cat replied, “and… thank you.”

Kara smiled and inclined her head. “You’re welcome.”

Cat stared thoughtfully at Kara’s retreating back and sighed quietly. This wasn’t going to end well, she just knew it.

S-S-S

Cat slowly ate a small chocolate bar - that might not be made of chocolate at all - while taking sips of water and listening to Astra and Olivia discuss their plan of action.

Kara had brought her water and a snack, regarding Cat with a smile as she handed the items over and Cat couldn’t shake the feeling that something else was going on she wasn’t quite grasping yet. Then Kara had departed to ward off any suspicions from her family.

So Cat had decided to focus her attention on how to get out of this mess, hopefully alive and hopefully without causing a war between two civilizations.

Astra was obviously brilliant, that much was certain as she relayed how she’d managed to figure out that someone from Krypton had been behind the attack, using one of the Secret Service agents as a front to make it appear as if they had planned this all along.

Unfortunately, the agent had died in the explosion and the only thing they’d found on him had been encrypted files even Astra’s people hadn’t been able to crack yet. Trusting her gut and apparently Kara’s instinct, as she’d convinced her aunt that they weren’t to blame for the attack, Astra had decided to get them out of captivity to keep the possibility for a long-lasting peace between them alive. Even if that meant going against the orders of her own family.

Cat was impressed, to say the least.

She was just about to take another bite of her maybe-not-chocolate bar when the door to the control room suddenly burst open.

Astra was on her feet a second later, pointing a device that resembled a gun at the intruders.

“Stand down,” she yelled and the guards who were now taking up half of the room hesitated.

They were wearing heavy, armor-like gear and carrying long staffs that seemed to be electrically charged.

“We’re here to arrest the Earth terrorists,” one of the guards announced, “please stand aside General.”

Astra bared her teeth and stepped between Olivia and the first guard. “You will do no such thing, they are under my protection. I claim this human.”

Cat was inching slowly toward the other side of the room, away from the guards, when one of them suddenly pointed in her direction. “What about this one?”

“Leave her alone,” a confident voice declared and Cat looked around until she saw Kara pushing her way past the guards into the room.

They stared at each other for several seconds and Cat raised her eyebrows slowly.

“I claim this human,” Kara said with a small apologetic shrug.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Maybe I'll add another part to this thing in the future. cheers.


End file.
